President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will provide $150 million to the US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to help underserved and small-acreage forest landowners access growing voluntary climate markets, according to an announcement made by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The IRA funds build upon the investments made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which also included competitive grants to non-federal forest landowners. The investment addresses climate change, rural economies are supported, land ownership is preserved for future generations, and private forestlands are shielded from development pressure.
In addition to storing carbon, providing essential habitat for wildlife, and producing forest resources that are essential for communities all throughout the country, Secretary Vilsack underlined the need for healthy, resilient forests.
A USDA partner organization on this initiative, Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Network (SFLR), has enhanced forest management and retention by connecting African American landowners to well-established networks of forestry support, including businesses, non-profit conservation, legal, community development, and Black social justice organizations, as well as federal and state government programs.
